Paper

by

Handout and Rubric Beating the Competition BUSU 630

Assignment #4

Due Week 8

This will be the best work in the class. All of the instructor comments on previous papers should be included in this work. Instructors often look back at your previous papers to be sure that you have learned and applied from the suggestions in previous papers.

Students will prepare a graduate level analysis to show a deep understanding about how to beat the competition using operations and supply chain. This is the most important paper in the class and should demonstrate all that have learned during this course. You may need to make this paper longer than three to five pages to make your case. The Title page and Reference Page is not included in the page count.

Remember this paper is not a book report of what you have read, or a book report on a company, but a direct application of what you have read and learned in this class to show how a company can beat the competition by using operations and supply chain tools.

This paper is designed for you to demonstrate through application and analysis the key points you have learned in this class and how you will apply these key points.

#1 Choose a company: you can use a small or a medium sized company, it is not recommended that you use the same company that you have used for papers in this class. However, if you use the same company for this paper that you have analyzed for other papers in this class, you may not use the same data or analyses for this paper that you have used in other papers for this assignment. You are in danger of failing this paper (and this class) if you duplicate your analyses from other papers. Remember it is a violation of academic integrity to use material from one class or one assignment for another.

#2 Analyze: the competition for a company you have chosen. Through research get to know the industry or field that your company occupies. Find out who is doing well in that field? Who is not? Why? What are the core competencies for your chosen organization? What do they do better than anyone else in their industry? As part of this paper you must identify the competition (using a chart?) and then show the strengths and weaknesses of each of the competition to look for a window of opportunity for the company you have chosen (all of this needs to be cited with graduate level sources).

#3 Create: three to five specific examples of how your chosen company can beat their competition using information that you have directly learned in this class about operations and supply chain. Use the concepts AND THE analytical models provided to gain this advantage. These recommendations need to be backed up with analysis, citations from the text book and independent research. The recommendations need to be innovative and interesting and very well thought out and written.

#4 Write: like a graduate student, APA, sources referenced, perfect grammar. Clear strong declarative sentences. Use very few pronouns. Include a strong reference section from the text book and additional resources from your research. Be sure to use APA headings (see below).

#5. Question: Describe the powerful questions that you will ask and answer in this quantitative and qualitative analysis to gain competitive analysis through operations.

#6. Class Concepts: You should include at a minimum three to five of the following concepts in your paper (See Rubric below to see how these class concepts (a – g) are to be woven through your paper):

  1. Introduction to operations and the global supply chain
  2. Foundations of operations
  3. Process innovation and mapping
  4. Managing systems in the supply chain
  5. Integrating relationships with suppliers and customers
  6. Planning supply chain innovation including technology
  7. Managing for change and innovation to create value

 

Business papers always use headings, and graduate students need to use APA headings:

https://services.umassglobal.edu/cii/apa-7/index.html#/

 

 

Rubric used for grading Assignment #4 BUSU630:

Evaluation Criteria

Beating the Competition

  Exemplary

250

 

 Proficient

210

 Developing

190

 Emerging

170

Key Insights 63

Provides accurate and clear description of a specific company and of the competition to that company. Identifies an option for that company to beat their competition based upon concepts learned in this class. Accurately and comprehensively discusses a valid and researched recommendation. Provides a clear picture of the ways to beat the competition in a specific industry using operations and supply chain.

 53

Provides a fairly accurate and clear description of the specific company and the competition. Fairly comprehensively and accurately discusses a valid recommendation Provides a fairly clear picture of the context for the opportunity using operations and supply chain concepts.

 48

Provides somewhat accurate and clear description of the company and the competition.  Somewhat accurately discusses the specific recommendations that would bring competitive advantage. Provides some context for the opportunity using operations and supply chain concepts.

 42 or below

Provides limited or unclear definitions and/or descriptions of the company or the competition. Provides little to no context for the opportunity for gaining competitive advantage.
Application

 

 63

Clearly identifies and discusses specific recommendations based upon graduate level sources, research and analysis.  Clearly describes how the context and trends within the industry and the process will enhance or detract for beating the competition. Shows a clear application and understanding of the tools available in supply chain and operations.

 53

Fairly clearly identifies and discusses specific recommendations based upon graduate level sources, research and analysis. Somewhat clearly describes how the context and the trends within the industry and the process will help to beat the competition. Fairly clearly describes application and understanding of the tools available in supply chain and operations.

 48

Somewhat clearly identifies and discusses specific recommendations based upon some graduate level sources, research and analysis. Somewhat describes how the context and the trends within the industry and the process will beat the competition. Somewhat shows a clear application and understanding of the tools available in supply chain and operations.

 42 or below

Limited if any identification and discussion of actions in terms of specifics Shows lots of opinion but little data.  Limited if any description of how recommendations are data driven, Shows a limited application of the tools available in supply chain and operations. May use WIKI sources which are not graduate level.
Critical Analysis 62

Consistently employs critical analysis in discussing the key insights about the industry, company and the process under review. Accurately links theory and course concepts with analysis, and application. Uses the text book and at least four other business sources.

The paper clearly shows how to beat the competition using clear and data driven decision making and graduate level resources.

 52

Fairly consistently employs critical analysis in discussing the key insights gained about the industry, company and the industry. Fairly accurately links theory and course concepts with analysis, and application. Uses the text book and at least three other business sources. Somewhat shows how to beat the competition. The recommendations are based upon data and sources.

 47

Somewhat employs critical analysis in discussing the key insights gained about the industry, company and the industry. Somewhat accurately links theory and course concepts with analysis and application. Uses the text book and at least two other business sources. The relevance of the ways to beat the competition are somewhat clear but an attempt was made.

 43 or below

Limited if any critical analysis in discussing the insights gained and their understanding of company, industry and/or competition. Limited if any connection made between theories, course concepts and application this company and ways to use operations and supply chain to beat the competition. Uses the text book and at least two other business sources.
Writing Mechanics

 

 62

The paper is logical, well written, and the required length.  Spelling, grammar and punctuation are accurate. Consistently uses sources (textbook and assessments) to support discussion and analysis.  APA formatting standards are followed; citations and reference page is correct.

 52

The paper is logical, well written, and is the required length.  Minor errors in spelling, grammar and/or punctuation. Uses sources (textbook and assessments) to support discussion and analysis.  APA standards are followed with a few minor errors.

 47

The paper is somewhat logical and well written; may be 10% too long or short.  Some errors in spelling, grammar and/or punctuation. Somewhat uses sources (textbook and assessments) to support discussion and analysis.  APA standards are somewhat followed but with numerous errors.

 43 or below

The paper lacks clarity and may be confusing; may be 15% too long or short.  Numerous errors in spelling, grammar and/or punctuation. Limited if any use of sources (textbook and assessments) to support discussion and analysis.  Limited if any adherence to APA standards.